Variable stroke agitator drive mechanism for washing machines



March 19, 1940. 'T JR 2494530 VARIABLHSTROKEAGITATOR DRIVE MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed May 17 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1/ 1/! IIIIIIlIAlII/I I II 11/ 'Dmmxs J. Link-JR.

. Z BYF 4' 7 ZTTDRHEY March 19, 1940- 1:.1. LIATLE, JR 2,194,430

VARIABLE smoxs Aax wron mam: MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed May 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 4 3 2 1 Star I w I 85 [9/ 7'7 Inv En'rni THEM/151.1. LITLgJR.

ATTURN EY Patented Mar. 19,

UNITED sTA-res PATENT, OFFICE VARIABLE srnoxn AGITATOR pawn MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Thomas I. Litle, Jr., Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse,

N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 17, 1939, Serial No. 274,265 9 Claims. (01. '14-'18) My invention relates to improvements in a I An object of the invention is to provide a simple I and economically constructed mechanism for driving an oscillating member such as the agitator or dolly of a clothes washing machine by which the angle or degree of oscillation of the membermay be readily changed within certain predetermined limits. f

Another object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism for transmitting motion from a motor operated continuously rotating drive element to an oscillating driven member which is so constructed that the degree of oscillation of the driven member may be reduced to zero without stopping the motor or the use of the usual drive clutch.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a drive mechanism of the above mentioned character which may be controlled by a single lever to vary the angle of oscillation or stroke of a driven member or to reduce the angle of oscillation or stroke thereof to zero.

Other objects and advantages pertaining to the constructionof my drive mechanismand to the form and relation of the parts thereof will more fully appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich: 1-; I 1

Figure 1 is a plan view of my novel drive mechanism appliedto a clothes washing machine, portlons of the washing machine adjacent thereto being broken away and shown in section.

Figure 2 is a detail vertical sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 22, Figure 1. i

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of my novel connecting rod or drive bar for operatively connecting a crank pin mounted on a continuously rotating drive member with an actuatingdisk operatively connected with the shaft of the agitator of the washing machine. I

Figure 5 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on line 55, Figure 3, illustrating the manner in which the connecting rod operatively engages the disk on the agitator shaft.

Flgurefi is an enlarged detail transverse verticalsectional view taken substantially on line 6-6, Figure 3.

Figure '7 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on line |--'l, Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an elevation of a portion of the washing machine skirt as viewed substantially from line 8-8, Figure 6, the control lever being shown in section.

In the accompanying drawings, illindicates the tub of a washing machinedor containing the washing fluid and an agitator (not shown) of any suitable construction.

The shaft l3 and sleeve l4 may, as indicated in Figure 2, be encased in a guard l5 for concealing the same.

Beneath the tub! I0 is a housing or gear case I? which is of novel construction in that it consists of a unitary casting 'or member provided with openings l8 and 89 adjacent thelends thereof for receiving therethrough the lower ends of the agitator shaft l2. and wringer shaft l3, respectively.

The case M maybe secured in position beneath the tub ill in any suitablemanner as by screws or bolts 20 passing through suitable holes provided in the motor bracket 2| and a pendent bossor rib 22 connected with the frame or base of the machine and which are screw-threaded in suitable bosses 23 formedon the case i! exteriorly thereof, as shown in Figure l.

The motor 25 for operating the washing machine mechanism and which is carried bynbracket 2], has the armature shaft 26 thereof connected by a coupling 21 to a worm shaft 28 that is journaled in suitable bearings 29 and 3t provided in an. extension 3| formed, in this instance, in-

tegral with the housing I! at one side thereof.

The worm. 32 connected with the shaft 28 is in mesiiig engagement with a worm wheeltt which is mounted in the housing ll and secured, as

by pin 34, to the lower end of the wringer shaft i3.

The opening is in the housing ii is closed by a cover 36 secured to the housing I! by screws 3?. The cover .36 is provided with an upwardlyextending bossl38 providing bearing members which. rotatably supportthe lower end of the wringer shaft l3, as shown in Figure 2. The cover 36 ll represents a skirt associated with the bottom of the tub for con-- cealing the agitator drive mechanism.

angle bar 42 connected in any suitable manner to the skirt ll so as to extend across the inner end of the housing I! and which is secured to said housingby two screws 43. v

The opening l8, through which the agitator.

shaft 12 extends, is provided with a cover member 45 secured to the housing I! by screws 46. The cover 45 is provided with a centrally disposed boss 41 which rotatably supports the adjacent -portion of the agitator shaft l2. The shaft l2. extends downwardly from the cover 45 through the interior of housing I! and has the lower end thereof journaled in a suitable bearing member 48 formed on the housing I1,

An actuating wheel 50 is mounted .within the housing II on the shaft l2 between the bearing members 41 and 48. The wheel 58' may be secured to the shaft i2 in any suitable manner, as by a pin 5| extending through aligned openings provided in the shaft and the hub 52 of wheel 58. The wheel 58 is provided with a disk 53 which extends outwardly from the shaft l2 substantially'normal thereto. This disk 53 '18 provided with a prominent tapered marginal edge portion 54 having a relatively narrow outer marginal edge 54'. The upper and lower surfaces 55 and 56 of the disk 53 extend inwardly from'the tapered edge portion 54 "to the hub 52 in slightly diverging'planes so that the disk 53 is slightly wedge shaped in cross section. The actuating wheel 50 may be composed of cast iron, carbon steel 'or other suitable material and has the disk portion 53 thereof treated in any suitable manner to produce smooth, very hard, nonwearing clutch surfaces 55 and 55 and edge 54.

The actuating wheel 58 is operatively connected with the worm wheel 33 by a drive bar or connecting rod 58 which is preferably cast of iron, carbon steel or similar material. It will be understood,however, that this bar may be forged or otherwise made if desired. The bar '58 comprises a tubular body portion 59 and a cylindrical head 60 connected with one end thereof, said head being provided with a hole 6| extending therethrough substantially normal to the longitudinal center of the body portion 58. The drive bar 58 is rotatably connected with the worm wheel 33 by a crank pin 82 connected with the wheel eccentrically thereof and which is rotatably received in the hole 6| of the drive bar head 88, as shown'in Figure 2.

The end portion 63 of the body 58 opposite.

the head 6|) is formed with an elongated slot 54 that extends-longitudinally'- through one side portion thereof and which provides the bar with opposed jaw members 65. The length of the slot 64 is preferably greater than twice the distance' from the crank pin 62 to the axis of the wheel 38 while the normal width of the slot 64 is slightly greater than the outer edge 54' of the disk 53 and less than the width of the inner portion of said tapered edge adjacent surfaces 55 and 56. The. drive bar 58 may be treated at opposite sides of slot 64 in any suitable manner to provide the jaws 65 with very hard, non-wearing clutch surfaces 55'. When the bar is made" by casting, the jaws 65 will possess great resilience,

'leasably maintaining said lever in a of the lever.

so that when the jaws are separated slightly by movement thereof into engagement with the disk surfaces 55 and 55 they will be maintained in contact with said surface under considerable pressure. When the bar is forged or otherwise made, however, a. similar result may be obtained by proper choice of material and tempering.v

The length of the connecting rod or bar 58 is,

,In order that the end portion 58 of the bar or rod 58 may be moved into and maintained in predetermined relation with the disk 53, I have provided an adjustable backstay or support-81 which, in this instance, is acylindrical member slidably mounted in an elongated aperture 88 provided in the side wall of the housing l1 and an outwardly projecting boss 89, formed integral with said housing.

The support 61 has the inner end 18 thereof of more or less conical shape, as illustrated in- Figures 3 and 6 for providing a surface of rela-' -tively small area forlcontacting the adjacent vside portion of .the drive bar or -'rod 58. The

support 61 is moved longitudinally through the aperture 68 toward and from the actuating wheel 58 by a gear segment 12 mounted on a stub shaft 13- journaledin the housing l-l, said gear segment having meshing engagement with rack '10 The end teeth 14 provided on the support 61. The gear member 12 is mounted in a recess 15 provided; in the housing I! adjacent the aperture 68, andthe shaft 13 extends upwardly through a cover plate 11 secured to the housing I! by screws 18' for closing the chamber .15. The-upper end of the shaft 13' has secured thereto one end of: a lever '18 which extends outwardly through an elongated slot 88 provided in the adjacent por-' tion-of the apron II. The upper wall of the slot 80 is provided with a series of recesses 8| adapted to receive ,the' lever-19 therein for remined adjusted'position.

In order that the drive bar or connecting rod 58 may be readily mounted in the housing I1, I have provided said housing with an aperture predeter- 83 at one end adapted to'receive the bar or rod therethrough and normally maintained closed by a plug 84.

7 Operation It will now be obvious that the supporting member 51 may be moved longitudinally through the aperture 68 by swinging the lever 18 through the slot 88 due to the rotation of the shaft 18 and gear member "produced by. said movement When the lever 18. is at one end of the slot 88 in registration with the recess ll designated Stop in Figure 8, the supporting member 61 will be in its outermost position maximum spaced relation to the agitator shaft l2 and actuating wheel- 58. when the supporting member 61 is in its outermost'position, the end portion 53 of the drive bar 58 will be slightly spaced from the disk 58 so that the bar 58 may freely reciprocate independently of the actuating wheel 50. I

When the drive bar 58 is reciprocated by-rotaoutermost position, the bar 58 will freely reciprocate in, spaced relation to the disk 53 and without transmitting motion to said disk and shaft l2. As the supporting or positioning member-51 is moved inwardly, the adjacent portion 63 of the drive bar will be moved inwardly toward the shaft I2, and the jaws 65 of said her will be moved into engagement with the disk 53.

During the initial movement of the drive bar toward the disk, jaws 65 will first engage the tapered edge portion 54 of the disk and then, as the drive bar continues its inward movement, said jaws will be gradually separated as they move overthe tapered edge portion on to the side surfaces 55 and 55 of the disk. This separation of the jaw members 55 is permitted by the resiliency of the portion of the bar adjacent said jaws which in turn causes the jaws to pinch or frictionally grip the adjacent portion of the disk 53 between them and thereby transmit motion from the drive bar to the disk.

It will now be observed that inasmuch as the jaws are arranged-in substantially tangential relation with the disk, and opposite sides 55 and 56 of the disk taper awayfromeach other-from the marginal edge portion 54 inwardly, the jaws 55 a will have only a short line contact with the disk surfaces and 55, as indicated at X, Figure 5, the length of the line of contact being equal to the thickness of the jaws 65. This line contact of the drive bar 58 with the disk 53 will lie in a plane passing through the axis of the disk 53 and normal tothe jaws 65. If the jaws 65 were extremely sharp knife edges,it would be theoretically possible to'have true point contact between the 1 disk 53 and the jaws 65. In such case, the disk and jaws would move with a true rolling'motion with respect to each other as the drive bar is reciprocated and the disk-is rotated, and there would be no sliding motion therebetween withits consequent frictional wear. As a practical matter, however,- the jaws 55 must have a fairly substantial thickness, and there'is therefore a short line contact between the jaws and the disk as above described. Because of this line contact, and likewise because the line is necessarily of finite width, there is a slight amount of sliding motion between the disk and the jaws, but the principal motion therebetween is a rolling motion of the disk in the slot between the jaws which produces oscillation of the disk'as the connecting rod is reciprocated. Dueto the facts that-the area of contact between the jaws and'the disk approximates a point contact and the jaws are highly resilient, with a consequent slight amount of sliding motion, and due to the hardened surfaces of the jaws and disk, the wear on. these surfaces is not a serious factor, as it would inevitably be in a drive which depended primarily on sliding friction for its action.

As the end portion '53 of the drive bar is moved inwardly from the outer tapered edge 54 toward the hub 52 the degree of oscillation of the disk 53 and, therefore, of shaft l2 and the agitator carried by said shaft will be correspondingly increased without changing the degree of reciprocating movement of the drive bar. I As the angle of reciprocating movement of the disk increases,

the tension of the sides of the drive baradjacentthereby prevents slippage between the jaws and disk as the oscillating movementof the disk and the powerrequired for producing said movement are increased. Furthermore, it will be observed that owing to the inclination of the disk surfaces. 55 and 55 from the-hub 52 outwardly and the pressure engagement of jaws 55 therewith,

the end portion 58 of the drive bar 58 will follow the support or positioningmember 51 during the outward movement of said member. This gradually decreases the angle of oscillation of the disk until the drive bar moves out of engage- 'ment with the drive disk whereupon the oscillation of the agitator is reduced to zero although the motor may be in operation so that the usual drive clutch can be eliminated.

Although. I have'shown and particularly described a specific embodiment of my invention,

I do not'wish to be limited to the exact construction shown as various changes in the details thereof may readily be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionas set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a drive mechanism for transmitting motion from a continuously rotated drive member to an oscillating driven member, in combination, an actuating member connected with the oscillating member to oscillate in unison therewith, a drive element connected with said drive memher to be reciprocated thereby through strokes of uniform length, and said actuating member and said drive element having coacting gripping clutch surfaces having substantially point contact and so constructed and arranged that reciprocative movement of the drive element will produce oscillating movement of the actuating member and the driven member connected therewith by substantially rolling motion only between said actuating member and said drive element.

2. A drive mechanism as defined in claim 1 having means for changingthe position of the drive element with respect to the axis of oscillation of the actuating member so that the angle of oscillation of the actuating member and driven member may be changed.

3. In ,a drive mechanism for'producing oscillatory movement of a driven member, a disk connected with said. driven member to move therewith, a drive bar for actuating said disk, said bar having opposed resilient jaws adapted to frictionally receive the disk between them, and

- connected therewith.

5. In a drive mechanism for producing oscillatory movement of a rotatably mounted driven member, an actuating element connected with said member to transmit ,motion thereto, said actuating element including a disk mounted'coaxially with the driven memben'said disk having opposite side surfaces extending in diverging planes from the outer edge thereof inwardly, a

' drive bar having jaw members normally spaced apart a distance lessv than the distance between said side surfaces of the disk, means for reciprocating the drive bar through strokes of uniform length, and means for producing relative movement of the disk and bar to cause the jaw members to move along the side surfaces of the axially with the driven member, said disk having an abrupt tapered edge portion and opposite side surfaces extending inwardly'from said tapered edge portion in diverging planes, a drive bar having jaw members spaced from the disk and normally spaced apart a distance less than the distance between said side surfaces of the disk, means for producing relative movement of the disk and bar tocause the jaw members to move over said tapered edge portion. into engagement with ,said side surfaces of the disk, and means for reciprocating the drive bar.

7. In a variable agitator drive mechanism adapted for use in a washing machine having an agitator drive shaft for oscillating the agitator, in combination, an actuating element connected with the agitator shaft for oscillating the same,'said actuating element havingv opposed clutch surfaces inclined in opposite directions with respect to each other, a drive member having substantially straight parallel clutch surfaces adapted to operatively engage the clutch surfaces of the actuating member under yielding pressure, positioning means engageable with the drive member'for moving the clutch surfaces thereof along the clutch surfaces of the actuating member in/the direction of said inclination, and means for reciprocating the drive member.

8. A variable agitator drive mechanism as set forth in claim I wherein said positioning means is so constructed and arranged as to permit the drive member to move to a position to bring the clutch surfaces thereof out of engagement with the clutch surfaces of the actuating element so that no motion is transmitted to said actuating element and said agitator when said drive member is in motion.

9. In a variable agitator drive mechanism adapted for use in a washing'machine having an agitator drive shaft for oscillating the agitator and a rotatable drive member, in combination, a disk connected with the agitatorshaft for oscillating the same, said disk having opposed clutch surfaces extending in diverging planes from the outer edge thereof inwardly, a connecting rod for actuating the disk pivotally connected with the drive member to be reciprocated thereby, said connecting rod having a pair of opposed clutchsurfaces normally spaced apart a less distance than said clutch surfaces of the disk so that they will engage the clutch surfaces of the disk under pressure when moved into engagement therewith, means including a reciprocating member engageable with the connecting rod for moving the same toward the disk to bring swinging and reciprocating movements of-the bar.

THOMAS J. LI'I'LE, JR. 

